I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Yuka, realizing that something seemed slightly off, immediately became a little wary.

After a moment's hesitation, Yuka decided to go upstairs to the office building to see what was going on.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Yuka prepared to leave—only to discover that the three from the engineering department seemed to have no intention of leaving at all.

"Don't you plan to go back to the millennium?"

Kahara waved his hand: "Since there's still construction work tomorrow and the day after, I'll just stay here temporarily..."

Relying on the 'base vehicle' behind her, she then explained simply: "This three-in-one base vehicle produced by the engineering department has an independent and complete system that is responsible for handling living and home functions, and it already has basic functions such as outdoor camping."

Yuka: "..."

She decided not to ask the engineering department why they designed such a thing, because that would most likely result in a very outrageous or absurd answer that lacked any sense of realism.

Ignoring the three people in the engineering department, Yuka took the plan and entered the Xialai Building.

Upon arriving at the familiar office floor, Yuka did not immediately push open the door to check the scene inside. Instead, driven by a strange sense of crisis and curiosity, she quietly crept to the door of Xia Lai's activity room, pressed herself against the door, and tried to listen to the sounds coming from inside.

"I see... This book, 'The Mask of the Red Death,' is one of Sensei's favorite books."

"Indeed... This writer named Edgar Allan Poe, through his words and writing style, endowed his works with an aesthetic and mysterious atmosphere... which can even be described as 'unique'."

"The mask she wore, and... the aestheticism revealed through her exquisitely elegant brushstrokes..."

"...This is truly a 'special' novel."

"It would even be an exaggeration to say that Yue-Yi Yiqiu #Qi is similar to V Wu Liu... calling it a classic is not an exaggeration at all."

"Yes. For me, this is a novel that allows me to experience the profound horror and beauty within it. It teaches me courage and charm."

Are we discussing the content of the novel?

Yuka frowned slightly, feeling a strange, very slight sense of blockage in her heart.

"Regarding this novel that Sensei brought from Giwatos... may I 'borrow' it for a while? Just a cursory reading, I think... would be such a waste of this novel."

"Does Noah want to learn more about this book? In that case, let's borrow it for now... no, it wouldn't really matter if we gave it to Noah."

"Huh? But Sensei, in that case... this book is very meaningful to you..."

“It’s alright, Noah. Actually… I’ve already memorized this book word for word—it might sound unbelievable, but I do have a photographic memory.”

"Furthermore... I can also deeply feel the emotions that the authors want to convey to the readers through their writing."

"Sensei's ability to empathize... is truly remarkable."

"How exactly do you glean deeper reading insights from these brushstrokes? Could you perhaps teach me a little?"

"Well... of course."

Yuka, who was outside the door, heard light footsteps and the rustling sound of pages turning, so faint as to be almost imperceptible.

……

"If that's the case..."

Standing behind the chair where Noah was sitting, Amamiya gently leaned down, almost like she was embracing the girl from behind, and turned a page of the book from behind, near the girl's waist or armpit. Then she began to read the contents aloud softly.

The newly acquired bond skills [Voice of the Stars] from Tama and [Enchanting Aura] from Wakazama have both begun to take effect.

When Amamiya smelled the unique 'hormonal scent' that belonged to Noah, different from the scent of his usual shower gel or shampoo, Noah could also clearly feel that unfamiliar, captivating masculine aura approaching from behind.

Immediately afterwards, she heard a whisper that directly depicted a scene.

The special learning method learned from a book was activated by Amamiya and then temporarily projected onto the 'literary girl' in front of her through Saori's bond skill 'Determination to Protect'.

Despite the 'beautiful' atmosphere, Noah felt no tension or urgency whatsoever—on the contrary, with Amamiya's numerous buffs, her attention was entirely focused on the book in front of her.

It was a peculiar feeling... as if I had directly entered the world of the book.

As Sensei said...

This book can truly teach people "courage" and "charm".

"Squeak-"

The door was deliberately pushed open with a loud noise.

"Sen, Sensei...?! And Noah?! What...what are you doing?!"

The strange, azure landscape and the bizarre, beautiful world shattered like a mirror in an instant, and Noah let out a slight sigh of regret.

...Only then did I realize that the distance between myself and Sensei...seemed unexpectedly 'too close'.

—It's the kind of intimacy that couples who have just started dating would have.

'Huh... Sensei is so close... and I didn't even feel it?'

The thought had just crossed Noah's mind when he heard Yuka's voice, which was several octaves higher and sounded panicked and anxious. Only then did Noah realize, belatedly, that his heart was fluttering.

Noah subconsciously put on his flawless, squinting smile, and then involuntarily placed his right hand lightly on his chest, quietly experiencing and estimating his ever-increasing heart rate and the slightly rising temperature in his chest.

So it turns out... it wasn't that I didn't feel anything.

Rather... one's own 'feelings' were temporarily 'suppressed' by the atmosphere created by Sensei through reading...

"Yuka-chan~ Is the work finished here?"

His performance was as 'perfect' as ever, without the slightest hint of panic at 'being caught doing something wrong'.

But actually...

If you were to touch it right now, you would feel its scalding heat as it gradually heats up.

"Sensei! You, you were just now..."

Yuka, unusually, did not feel embarrassed or express any other opinion about her 'as always' teasing, but instead 'angrily' looked at the young man beside her.

"I was just teaching Noah a special way of reading."

Faced with her 'best friend's' seemingly ambiguous accusation, the young man beside her simply gave a calm reply.

……

【~???~】

Amamiya, who was just about to use his acting skills to fool everyone, paused slightly after feeling the affection notes coming from the girl next to him.

Why are you increasing affection points now...?

I was really just teaching Noah a special way to "enhance the five dimensions"... I had no other intentions.

You should know that when he lived in Shibuya, Tokyo, at the Shigenjaya, he relied on all kinds of knowledge every day, drawing "knowledge," "skill," "courage," "thoughtfulness," and "charm" from these books.

I just didn't expect that... my unique way of truly learning from books, which is characteristic of the "Trickster," would have such an extraordinary effect on others.

"..."

Yuka scrutinized Amamiya with a suspicious look, but finding that the young man in front of her still had a nonchalant expression, she finally sighed and rubbed her forehead.

'Sigh... I should have known sooner. Sensei has always been terrible at managing the distance between himself and girls...'

'Noah must have been startled by Sensei's unexpected distance, or perhaps felt lost...'

With that in mind, Yuka didn't directly say anything harsh like "You're really terrible," but instead spoke earnestly and seriously: "Sensei... when you're dealing with other girls in the future, remember to maintain a proper distance."

"You see, even Noah is a little flustered by your 'control of distance'..."

Yuka casually handed over a handkerchief, a traditional handkerchief, gesturing for Noah to wipe the fine sweat that had appeared on his forehead due to nervousness and inexplicable emotions. Yuka then took a closer look at Amamiya, who had an expression that said, "I've learned something."

'Ugh... Sensei is really something.'

'I'm probably the only one who can accept Sensei's terrible sense of distance...'

Noah paused for a moment after taking the handkerchief, then smiled casually and wiped the fine sweat from his cheeks.

"Indeed... Sensei's control over distance is somewhat... surprising."

Following Yuka's train of thought, the literary girl smiled and squinted, then made a small "sorry" gesture to Amamiya.

Amamiya seemed to understand the meaning behind her actions and expressions: 'In order not to ruin Yuka's impression of Sensei and thus affect your relationship, let's keep it from Yuka-chan for now~'

This "Don't tell XX~" behavior made Amamiya feel as if she were in a GalGame, where the second female lead sneaks away from the male protagonist and then doesn't want him to tell the female protagonist.

If Amamiya really has the same ridiculously low emotional intelligence as most male protagonists in GalGames, then he might as well not live, let alone make any nine-ship jumps.

After responding with a smile, Amamiya nodded slightly to Noah.

“Sensei, these are the various projects that the engineering department completed today. Please take a look... If necessary, I can accompany you to inspect them now.”

Since she had come in an official car, Yuka didn't feel any urgency to catch the bus in the evening.

Amamiya took the form from Yuka and looked at the repair details from the engineering department.

'Is this Kiwatos...?'

'This level of infrastructure development is truly astonishing...'

Amamiya was instantly surprised when she saw the row of green circles and the 'completed' stamp on the form.

Getting Yuka's stamp to confirm the completion of a project... that means it's unlikely to be the kind of thing that can be done casually or perfunctorily.

That means... the engineering department really did complete the addition and construction of basic equipment in many areas within a single day.

"I trust Yuka's supervisory abilities, so let's skip the 'inspection' process for now. Besides, it's getting late... so let's leave it until the entire project is completed, and then I'll find a separate time to inspect it."

【~???~】

In short, Amamiya made the purple-haired girl, who had been busy all day, curl her lips into a pretty and cute smile.

No, no...

Noah is watching, so I have to keep my facial expressions under control... I can't just grin like an idiot, and I can't blush...

To divert attention, Yuka spoke up first: "Speaking of which...Sensei, is your... script ready?"

"Well... it's all ready."

"I'm planning to go to the game club tomorrow... I'll have to ask Yuka to look after Xia Lai then."

Chapter Ten: Sophia - "Humanity's Best Friend"

As dusk fell, the chill of the night once again enveloped the land.

'It's about time I talked to the three people in the engineering department...'

'Some minor questions about Sofia…'

Previously, Amamiya had the idea of ​​creating a body for Sofia that could move within Kivotos and possess all the sensations of a human being, truly allowing Sofia to experience freedom.

The "robot" type of native inhabitants of Kiwatos made Amamiya's somewhat unrealistic ideas a possibility to be realized in reality.

Looking out the window of the club activity room, Amamiya glanced at the 'temporary base' set up by the three members of the engineering department. The warm light and the mechanical-style lantern gave Amamiya a momentary sense of déjà vu, as if he were in Red Dead Redemption, controlling Arthur Morgan as he arrived at the camp at dusk.

Despite being a uniquely styled mechanical camp, the lanterns hanging on poles and a few old-fashioned pieces of equipment with a mix of mechanical and Western styles give it a cowboy vibe.

A 'campfire' was also lit near the campsite—or rather, it looked like a mechanical device that provided light and warmth to the surrounding area.

It seems that it was intentionally designed to maintain a unified style or for other reasons, and it was shaped like a campfire.

The three girls from the engineering department were gathered around the campfire, chatting and laughing. I don't know what they were talking about.

Amamiya carefully put away the bento box, which was engraved with bright yellow and deep purple and had 'stars' as its main theme. After hesitating for a moment, she finally decided to go downstairs and chat with them.

Hopefully, they can offer some helpful advice regarding Sofia's physical condition...

As Amamiya went downstairs, the sound of the automatic door, which had undergone a round of security upgrades, opening immediately attracted the attention of the chatting girls.

"Sensei, good evening."

Utahara was the first to stand up and wave to Amamiya as a greeting.

"Does Sensei have any special plans for tonight? Is there anything our engineering department can do to help?"

To Kahara, the 'Shalai Sensei' in front of him was a kind-hearted person who might be hiding all sorts of otherworldly treasures and materials, as well as the engineering department's funds for the foreseeable future.

It would be only natural to be a little more attentive in order to secure more funding and obtain materials from the other world.

Amamiya first greeted Utahara casually, and then, just like in the morning, handed Utahara a bento box.

[Dinner of the Goddess of Night: A specially prepared dinner with the assistance of Hecate, the Goddess of Night (Arcana: Love). Consuming it will grant you the 'Blessing of the Goddess of Night,' ensuring a sweet dream.]